We Might Fall
by Stencil Your Heart
Summary: All Zuko wanted was some water, a bag of feed, and a hot meal. What he left with was a girl who doesn't know how to take "no" for an answer. Starts in Book 2 Episode 7 and goes to the end of the series. Zuko/OC, mild Kataang and Sukka. Slight AU.
1. Zuko Alone?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, any of its affiliates, or basically anything in this story that you recognize. Sadly.

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><p>The Earth Kingdom town wasn't exactly what Zuko had expected. It was small, to say the least. There were a few shops, most with either patched roofs or boarded windows. The handful of houses all seemed to be attached to farmland of some kind, and various animal noises filled the air. Then there was dirt. That was all that seemed to surround the town. There were a few patches of dry, brown grass here and there, but the dirt seemed to stretch out for miles, with no end in sight.<p>

Zuko planned to get in and out of the town as quickly as possible. He had no desire to stick around any longer than necessary.

Passing a group of men to the left of him, Zuko rounded a corner and dismounted his ostrich-horse. The merchant didn't look like he had much to offer, but the prince decided it was better than nothing.

"Could I get some water, a bag of feed, and something hot to eat?"

"Not enough here for a hot meal," the merchant replied. "But I can get you two bags of feed."

Zuko's stomach growled furiously in protest, but he nodded anyway.

As the merchant turned to retrieve the feed, Zuko couldn't help but notice two young boys out of the corner of his eye. They were probably ten or eleven, with messy hair and crooked smiles.

'_Just younger than the Avatar,' _Zuko noted with a twinge of bitterness in his stomach.

The boys were laughing to themselves as one launched an egg at one of the men behind Zuko. The man made a noise of discontent and the boys took off into the safety of the alley. Zuko didn't bother to turn around as he heard the men rise to their feet.

"Hey! You throwing eggs at us, stranger?"

"No."

"You see who did throw it?"

"No." Zuko replied, finally turning.

"That your favorite word? No?"

Zuko bit back another "no" and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Egg had to come from somewhere."

Unable to contain his sarcasm any longer, Zuko dismissed the man's accusations. "Maybe a chicken flew over."

He turned back to the merchant, who had returned with his feed. As soon as he set it on the counter, however, the man from the group took it.

"Thanks for your contribution," he said, a smirk evident on his face. "The army appreciates your support."

The group turned to walk away, but the man - Zuko assumed he was their leader - stayed behind.

"You better leave town." He warned, patting the head of his war hammer. "The penalty for staying is a lot higher than you can afford, stranger. Trust me."

As the man followed his retreating group, the merchant cast Zuko an apologetic look.

"Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation," he said. "But they're just a bunch of thugs."

The banished prince didn't bother to respond. He headed back to his ostrich-horse, worse off than he was before he came to this Agni-forsaken town.

"Hey!" A small, brown-haired head popped up from the other side of the saddle. "Thanks for not ratting me out."

Zuko ignored the child and mounted his animal.

"I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich-horse for you," the boy persisted. "Come on, I owe you."

He grabbed the reins and began to lead them down a dirt path to his house. Zuko supposed that staying in town a little bit longer wouldn't be too bad, if it meant his ostrich-horse would be fed. He had spent the last of his money on the feed that the soldiers stole. Besides, his stomach was still growling relentlessly. Maybe the boy's family would be willing to spare some water, at least.

Pig-hybrids squealed loudly as Zuko and the child made their way up to his house.

The boy gave Zuko a toothy smile and said, "Hey, no one can ever sneak up on us."

"Yeah, no kidding."

As the child led Zuko's ostrich-horse to the barn, a tired-looking bearded man was waiting to greet Zuko.

"Are you a friend of Lee's?" He asked, clearly weary of the stranger.

Lee apparently heard his father and came running back to join them.

"This guy just stood up to the soldiers!" he exclaimed, then launched into an animated - and exaggerated - version of what happened.

Zuko noticed two women peer around the edge of the doorway. They were too far away for him to tell for certain, but he assumed that they were the boy's mother and sister.

"By the end, he practically had them running away!" Lee finished his story with a flourish.

"Does this guy have a name?" One of the women asked, coming up behind Lee's father. Her hair was dark like the men, but her face was gentle. The other was not far behind. Her dark hair fell over half of her face, hiding it from view.

"I'm..." Zuko began. "Uh..."

"He doesn't have to say who he is if he doesn't want to, Sela." The older man chastised gently. "Anyone who can hold his own against those bully _soldiers_-" the word was spat out with contempt, "-is welcome here. Those men should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."

His wife nodded in agreement. "The real soldiers are off fighting in the war, like Lee's older brother, Sensu."

Zuko's stomach twitched uncomfortably, and he hoped that he wouldn't have to hear more about the war.

"Supper is going to be ready soon," the younger girl offered. "Would you like to stay?"

"I can't." Zuko replied, probably a little harsher than he intended. "I should be moving on."

The girl didn't look deterred. "My dad could use some help on the barn. Why don't you two work for a while, and then we'll eat?"

She looked to her parents and brother for approval, and they nodded. Zuko frowned. He really did have to get going. There was no sense in sticking around where he didn't belong; but as his stomach turned over again in hunger, he knew it would be foolish to pass up a hot meal, especially since he had no money.

"Good!" The girl smiled. "While Dad and Lee get the tools, I'll show you to the barn."

The other three retreated, and Zuko followed the girl to the barn.

"My name is Ren Yi," she said with a smile, "but you can just call me Ren if you want to. That's what most people do."

Zuko gave no reply. As she opened the door to the barn she continued, "It was really brave of you to stand up to those soldiers. They've always been rude, but ever since Sensu left... I guess they figure we don't have anyone to stand up to them. The young men have gone to fight in the war, my father is getting older, and I'm ... well..."

"A girl?" Zuko offered.

A dark look passed over her features, but she gave a dry chuckle anyway. "Yeah, a girl."

A moment of tense silence passed between the girl and the stranger before Sela's voice floated in from the kitchen window. "Rennie, come wash up and help me with dinner!"

"Coming, mother!" She flashed a small smile at the banished prince before turning to the door and saying, "The ladder is just on the side of the barn; I'm sure Dad and Lee are up there already."

Zuko watched her leave the barn before tossing his bag onto a large pile of hay. He knew he probably shouldn't stay, but it didn't seem logical to pass up a hot meal, so he made his way around the side of the barn and onto the roof. Gansu was already working and Lee was sitting on the side of the roof, watching his father. Zuko immediately picked up a hammer and began working, nailing roof shingles to the frame. It occurred to him that, growing up in the palace, he had never really had to do any work at all in his life, and he suddenly became painfully aware that he was working much slower than the man twice his age.

"So," Lee began, his voice laced with that innocent curiosity that only children seem to possess, "You don't seem like you're from around here."

"Uh-uh," Zuko responded, not taking his eyes off of his work.

"Where are you from then?"

"Far away."

"Oh ... Where're you going?"

"Lee, give it a rest." Gansu chastised. "Stop asking the man personal questions, got it?"

The young boy sighed dejectedly, resting his chin on his forearm in defeat. "Yes?" After a few moments, however, his demeanor changed completely and he brightly declared, "So how did you get that scar?"

The question caught Zuko completely off guard. He smashed the hammer into his thumb, causing him to bite his tongue and stifle a painful cry through gritted teeth.

"Lee!" Gansu interjected. "It's not nice to bother people about things they might not want to talk about. A man's past is his business."

Zuko ignored them both and continued working, with the hot late afternoon sun beating across his back. He almost couldn't help but let his mind wander back to his younger days in the Fire Nation, before his father was Fire Lord, before he was banished, before his mother disappeared...

He sighed and shook his head, trying to rid himself of his nostalgia. There was no sense in revisiting those times now, when he was working amongst Earth Nation citizens who could never know who he truly was. He had gotten too involved with them already, so his best option now was to leave as soon as he was able.

Zuko was unsure how much time had passed when Gansu finally told him supper was ready. All he knew was that the sun that had been scorching his back had now fallen somewhere to the West, and had been replaced by a darkly tinted sky and the faintest outline of the moon. He followed the older man into the house, only to be greeted by the smell of herbs and cooked vegetables. His stomach grumbled loudly in anticipation.

"It smells wonderful, Sela." Gansu complimented, kissing his wife on the cheek.

The older woman tinged slightly red and said, "Why don't you men go wash up, and then we'll eat?"

"You can use my bathroom," the younger girl offered to Zuko. "Upstairs and to the right. I'm sure it's much cleaner than Lee's."

Zuko nodded and headed up the stairs. The house itself was larger than he expected from the humble Earth Kingdom family, but it was still small in comparison to where Zuko had lived in the Fire Nation. The stairs and upstairs hallway were decorated with family photographs, mostly of the children.

When he opened the only door on the right side of the hallway, Zuko almost worried he'd heard the directions wrong, as he appeared to have ended up in the girl's bedroom. The room was rather small, with a single bed and small nightstand in the middle of the room. The walls were bare except for several bookshelves which lined them, all overflowing with books.

"_The Four Nations: A History,_" Zuko whispered, running his fingers along the spine. "_A Beginner's Guide to Swordsmanship... The Complete History of the Avatar... Famous Benders of the Earth Kingdom... A Girl's Guide to Ba Sing Se..."_

"Ren likes to read," Lee said from his position at the door, startling Zuko. "She's weird like that."

"I... Uh..."

"Were you looking for her bathroom?"

Zuko only nodded.

"It's on the other side of the bookcase. Don't take too long; I might eat all of the potatoes before you get down there!"

Zuko nodded again, embarrassed to have been caught nosing through someone else's things. He washed his hands quickly before returning to the table, keeping his eyes downcast as he walked through the girl's room.

At the table, Zuko found himself immersed in family conversation. Gansu and Sela told each other about their days, while Lee animatedly babbled on to Zuko about what seemed to be a hundred different topics. The boy paused only occasionally, either to breathe, to take a bite of his food, or to say something to his older sister. Watching them from across the table, Zuko felt the slightest pang of jealousy in his chest as he remembered Azula and the way she tormented him relentlessly. Sitting amongst the Earth Kingdom family, in their home, at their dinner table, for a moment Zuko almost felt normal.

His thoughts were interrupted as Lee's voice floated through his ears once more. "I was telling him earlier that you like to read."

"Were you?" Ren asked, her bright green eyes focusing on Zuko. He only nodded. "Do you read much?"

Truthfully, when he was still living in the Fire Nation, Zuko read quite often. The palace had an extensive library, and Zuko would often spend hours reading about famous Agni Kais, war battles, and fire bending techniques. But he couldn't let this girl know that he was Fire Nation, so he simply shook his head.

Ren's face fell slightly, and she continued her conversation with her brother. Zuko was silent for the rest of the meal, content to observe the two siblings and grateful to finally have a hot meal. When dinner was through and everything had been cleaned up, Gansu offered Zuko to stay the night in the barn.

"We don't have a spare room or anything," he said, almost sheepishly, "But I figure a barn's better than nothing."

Zuko accepted, figuring it was better to move on when it was light out anyway. And, although he hated to admit it, he was exhausted. Things were harder without his uncle there, though Zuko refused to admit it, even to himself. But tonight was not the night to dwell on such things. Thoughts of Azula, Iroh, and his mother had plagued him the entire day, wearing on his mind and his resolve, and he was asleep only moments after his head hit the hay.

Unfortunately, the prince's rest was interrupted shortly after it had begun. He had been asleep for only an hour or two before Lee quietly crept into the barn, took Zuko's broadswords, and left again. His attempt to be quiet had awakened Zuko nonetheless, and as he opened the barn door, he saw the young boy in a daisy field a few yards away, spinning around and hacking mercilessly at the flowers with Zuko's swords. Lee didn't even notice Zuko walk up to him, until he spoke.

"You're holding them all wrong."

The boy stumbled backward, falling to the ground in surprise. He got up sheepishly, offering Zuko's swords back to him and looking ashamed.

"Keep in mind, these are dual swords - two halves of the same weapon." Zuko responded, beginning to demonstrate a few moves. "Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole."

He handed the swords back to Lee, who began to practice what he had been taught. The two then headed back towards the house. They were nearly halfway back when Lee spoke again.

"I think you'd really like my brother, Sensu. He used to show me stuff like this all the time, before he left for the war." Lee's eyes fell to the ground, and he shuffled his feet. "Ren tries to make up for it sometimes, but she's not good with swords. She's even worse than me! Besides, she's a girl and all."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Just because she's a girl, doesn't mean she can't fight well," he replied, his mind wandering back to thoughts of his own sister and her skills.

Lee's face brightened visibly. "Oh yeah! She's an earth bender, you know. Did she tell you that?"

Zuko shook his head.

"Yeah, she is! But don't tell anyone, okay? She could get in trouble if the soldiers found out."

Zuko just nodded, and sent Lee on his way to bed. Reentering the barn, Zuko decided not to give the girl, or her earth bending, any more thought. After all, it was none of his business anyway.

The next morning, Zuko woke with the sun to get an early start. Spending the night on a pile of hay hadn't done much for his back, but it had at least been a warm place to sleep, and for that he was thankful. He gathered his things quickly, loaded his ostrich horse, and was about to leave when Sela thrust a package into his arms.

"Here," she said, "This ought to get you through a few meals."

Zuko nodded in appreciation and mounted his ostrich horse, but before he could be on his way, the sound of hooves came from a distance. Looking up, Zuko saw that it was the soldiers from the previous day riding toward them.

"What do you think they want?" Gansu asked bitterly.

"Trouble."

The soldiers stopped just in front of Zuko and the family, haughty looks etched upon their faces.

"What do you want, Gow?" Gansu demanded, locking eyes with the man Zuko assumed to be the leader of the group.

Gow's voice was dripping with bemusement as he said, "Just thought someone ought to tell you, your son's battalion got captured."

Zuko felt a brief pang in his stomach when he saw the horrified looks on the faces of Gansu and his family. Lee and Sela looked near to tears, and Ren had her eyes downcast, hands clenched into tight fists.

Gow turned to face his soldiers. Seeming to feed off of the family's agony, he taunted, "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"

"Dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the frontline," one of the soldiers replied through an evil grin, "_unarmed, _the way I heard it. Then they just watched."

Zuko's blood felt as though it were sizzling deep inside his veins, not even because these soldiers were abusing the family that had been so kind to him, but because he knew that what the soldier had said was probably true.

The earth seemed to tremble ever so slightly beneath them, and Zuko's eyes darted to Ren, whose eyes were locked with Gow, her knuckles white from clenching her fists. No one else seemed to notice.

"You watch your mouth!" Gansu spat, stepping in front of his wife and children.

Gow's eyes narrowed as he moved his ostrich horse forward, but Zuko rode in front of him, blocking his access to the family.

"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" Gow scoffed, glaring at Zuko before riding off with his men.

As the family gathered behind Zuko, his mind wandered back to the day he and Azula found out that their cousin, Lu Ten, had not survived the war. He remembered his mother's grief-stricken face, and the knot he felt in his own stomach, knowing that his uncle had lost his only child. Azula had only been concerned with the fact that Lu Ten's death meant the end of Uncle Iroh's bloodline, and he remembered wondering how his sister could always be so cold.

Now, looking at the grieving family behind him, Zuko saw Gansu embracing his wife while a sobbing Lee clutched his sister's hand, her shoulders trembling faintly. He saw none of Azula's apathy, only the sorrow of a family who had likely lost their eldest son.

"What's going to happen to my brother?" Lee sniffled.

"I'm going to the front," Gansu replied, locking eyes with his wife. "I'm going to find Sensu and bring him back."

As the two parents began to make their way back to the house, Zuko turned his ostrich horse and began to leave.

"Wait!" Lee cried through his tears, releasing his sister's hand and sprinting to Zuko's side. "When my dad goes, will you stay?"

"No, I need to move on. Here," he replied, handing Lee the dagger his Uncle Iroh had given him so many years ago. "I want you to have this. Read the inscription."

Wide-eyed, Lee read aloud, "Made in the Earth Kingdom?"

"The other one."

"Never give up without a fight..."

Lee clutched the dagger to his chest, giving Zuko a toothy smile. Behind Lee, he saw Ren gazing at him, her green eyes dead locked with his golden ones. She offered him a faint smile, raising one of her hands in a small wave. He nodded to her, then turned his ostrich horse and rode off.

As he rode, Zuko allowed his thoughts to drift again. He remembered Azula telling him that their uncle was coming home from the war. He remembered her smug face as she taunted him, telling him that their Uncle Iroh was a quitter and a loser. He remembered the horrible meeting with Fire Lord Azulon, the way he embarrassed himself, and his father.

Zuko sighed to himself and shook his head in an attempt to rid his mind of thoughts of that day. He dismounted his ostrich horse and tied it to a nearby tree, then took off his hat and lay down in the lush grass beneath him.

In his mind, Zuko could still hear his father's words, as if he were standing right next to him in that very moment.

"_She's a true prodigy..."_

It was always that way with Azula. She was a prodigy. She was gifted. She was born lucky. And him? Well, he was just lucky to be born.

"_Father, revoke Iroh's birthright..."_

Clear as day, his grandfather's voice resounded in his ears.

"_I think Iroh has suffered enough... But you, your punishment has scarcely begun!"_

Zuko had never actually found out what his father's punishment was supposed to be. He ran from the room before his grandfather could specify. This, of course, prompted Azula to taunt him mercilessly later on, saying that Zuko was supposed to be sacrificed as his father's punishment.

The simple memory of Azula's words sent a shiver down his spine. "Azula always lies," he whispered to the wind. "Azula _always _lies."

Zuko found himself startled out of his reverie by the sound of a wagon approaching.

"You have to help!" Sela pleaded, her eyes swollen and bloodshot and her hands shaking relentlessly. "It's Lee. The thugs from town came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them. I don't even know where he got a knife! Then they took him away. They told me if he's old enough to fight, he's old enough to join the army. And Rennie, her bending... She was only trying to help... I know we barely know you, but..."

"I'll get your children back."

Sela let out a dry sob and a halfhearted smile as Zuko mounted his ostrich horse and the two set off back into town. Sela sought shelter in an alley where a few spectators had congregated, while Zuko rode up to the soldiers.

"Hey, there he is!" Lee cried from the post he was tied to. He turned to his sister and said proudly, "I told you he'd come!"

Zuko dismounted and stood in the center of the town with Gow and his lackeys facing him.

"Let them go." He whispered, his voice low and frighteningly steady.

Gow simply laughed. "Who do you think you are, telling us what to do?"

"It doesn't matter who I am, but I know who you are. You're not soldiers, you're bullies. You're freeloaders, abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Lee in your army, and you don't want anything to do with Ren. You're sick cowards messing with a family who've already lost a son to the war."

Gow faltered, but only momentarily. He turned to his men and challenged, "Are you going to let this stranger stand there and insult you like this?"

The soldier to Gow's left brandished his spear with a scowl. Zuko pulled back as the man lunged forward, drawing the handle of his sword into the man's stomach without even having to unsheathe it. The man was knocked off of his feet and flew backwards several yards.

The next solider ran at Zuko, spear at the ready. The banished prince blocked him effortlessly, then brought his palm up in a blow to the man's forehead, easily knocking him to the ground.

The final lackey charged toward Zuko with his spear, but he performed a simple front kick, successfully snapping the spear in two and causing the man to run off. Lee was laughing delightedly from his place on the post, and even Ren was sporting a small smile, her eyes dancing across the battles intently.

Gow, the only soldier left, drew his two war hammers and assumed a bending stance. Zuko was mildly caught off guard, as he hadn't expected the obnoxious man to be a bender, but he shook off his surprise and pulled out his swords. Gow raised his arms above his head, then brought them down furiously, smacking the ground and sending a rock hurling towards Zuko, who broke it with ease. Gow sent two more rocks flying his way; he destroyed one without difficulty, but the second hit him square in the stomach. Recovering quickly, Zuko rushed at Gow with his blades.

From the alley, an elderly man was pumping his fists in the air and shouting, "Give him a left! A left!"

"It's not a fist fight," his wife pointed out.

"Well he's got a left sword, don't he?"

Gow was beginning to hit him harder, throwing more and more rocks that Zuko was having trouble blocking. Finally, one got through and caused him to stagger.

"Look out!" The old man shouted.

"Behind you!" Cried Lee. Turning his face to his sister, he pleaded, "Can't you do anything?"

She shook her head. "I can't."

"Come on, Ren! Throw a rock at him! Use your bending! Do something!"

"I can't!" She yelled, raising her bound hands uselessly to indicate her inability to bend. "I'm not good enough to bend without my hands!"

Gow was hurling rocks at Zuko, steadily driving him back. With an extra burst of strength, the lead soldier struck the ground mightily, sending a wave of earth toward Zuko. As it neared, Gow raised an enormous rock from the ground and launched it at Zuko, hitting him in the chest and slamming him to the ground.

Between the collective gasp from the crowd and the crashing of rocks around him, Zuko could hear it - he could hear her.

"_Everything I've done, I've done to protect you..."_

Her voice was resonating in his ears, his mind, his chest. He could smell her perfume when she hugged him, feel the way her hair brushed up against the side of his face when she pulled away. He could see the struggle in her eyes as she walked away from him for the last time.

"_No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are..."_

"Get up," he heard Lee whisper desperately. "Please get up."

Zuko opened his eyes just enough to see Gow stalking towards him. He could feel the fire building somewhere deep within his stomach, slowly spreading to his chest, shoulders, fingertips. Letting out a furious cry, Zuko jumped to his feet with a spin, creating a ring of fire around him. Stunned, Gow stumbled backwards, dropping his hammers to the ground.

"He's a fire bender." Ren whispered, her voice barely audible even to herself.

Zuko hit Gow in the stomach with a blast of fire, knocking him off his feet. Swinging his blades, the prince sent repeated blasts of fire towards the soldier, throwing him into a nearby building.

"Who... Who are you?" Gow's voice had become a meek imitation of what it had been.

"My name is Zuko." Confidence swelled in his voice. "Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne."

Lee's mouth hung open as Zuko sheathed his swords.

"Liar!" The old man cried, stepping forward and raising an accusing finger. "I heard of you. You're not a prince - you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him!"

Ignoring the old man's comment, Zuko walked over to a cowering Gow. Bending low and looking the man directly in the eyes, Zuko reached out and retrieved the dagger he had given to Lee earlier that day.

He walked toward Lee, who had just been untied by his mother, but Sela cut him off by standing in front of her son.

"Mother-" Ren began.

"Hush, Ren Yi." She turned her eyes to Zuko. "Not a step closer."

Zuko knelt on one knee and held the dagger out to Lee.

"It's yours. You should have it."

"No, I hate you!"

Sela led her son away. Standing, Zuko found himself staring straight down into a pair of bright green eyes. Ren was nearly a head shorter than him, but her stare was intense as she gazed up at him through her fringe. He was surprised to find her eyes unreadable, but he fully expected her to yell at him right there in the middle of the town. She opened her mouth once, twice, but no words seemed to come out. Instead, she turned on her heel and disappeared after her mother and brother.

Zuko straightened himself, turned, and walked back to his ostrich horse. The eyes of the village dwellers in the crowd seared holes into his back, almost enough to scar. The banished prince mounted his ostrich horse and turned toward the road.

"Don't come back!" The old man jeered, raising his fist for emphasis.

Zuko pulled the reigns and rode off. There was nothing for him in that town anymore.

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><p>Thank you for reading! I've had this half-written for about a year now, but have only recently had some free time to actually put some effort into it. I hope you enjoyed :)<p> 


	2. The Hardest Decision

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own anything Avatar.

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><p>Sela was still fuming as Ren flopped on her bed that evening.<p>

"The _nerve_ of that man!" Her mother's angry voice floated up the staircase. "Coming into my home, letting my family think we could trust him, all the while he was some banished _prince..._ Why, I've never in my life-"

Ren groaned as she pressed her pillow over her ears in a desperate attempt to block out her mother's ranting. There was no denying the fact that the man had turned out to be a fire bender, and the prince of the Fire Nation, at that. But there was also no denying that he had helped their father patch the barn roof, and he had come back for Lee and Ren, when he easily could have just gone along on his way. That had to say something about his character, Ren figured.

"Rennie?" Lee whispered from the doorway. He was clutching a blanket tightly around his shoulders as tears cascaded down his face.

"Come here, Lee."

The boy crawled on his sister's bed and rested his head against her side.

"What's the matter?"

"He was a fire bender, Rennie... I thought he was like Sensu, but he's just like one of _them_."

"I know you're upset, Lee," she said gently as she stroked his hair. "But just because he's a fire bender, doesn't mean he's a bad person."

"I hate the fire nation, Rennie. First they took Sensu away, then dad... I just wish this stupid war was over already!"

"Me too, Lee." She whispered, hugging her brother close.

Lee undoubtedly had a point. This stupid war - and, essentially, the Fire Nation - had claimed both their brother and their father. Ren's heart nearly slowed to a stop every time she thought about what Sensu's battalion might be facing in captivity. She was tired of living in fear of some bully imitation soldiers, and she was tired of feeling like there was nothing she could do to help.

Sensu had only just begun to teach Ren how to use her bending before he left home to join the war effort. He was the best bender she had known, and without him there, she had to rely mostly on her books to try to learn. She had gathered a considerable amount of information on earth bending, as well as other fighting styles, but it did her little good without an actual teacher there to work with her.

As she lay in bed comforting her younger brother, Ren found herself wondering what she could do to protect him and her mother. She would be no help to them if the Fire Nation were to invade their village; her bending was decent at best and her swordsmanship was embarrassing, to put it gently.

Ren inhaled deeply as she gave her brother a gentle squeeze. She knew what she had to do.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Lee? Things will be better in the morning."

Lee gave a somber nod before making his way to the door.

"Hey!" She called after him. He turned on his heel just outside of the doorway and looked up into her eyes. "You know I love you, right?"

He flashed her the gap between his teeth, gave an animated nod, and then he was gone. He disappeared around the corner, leaving Ren alone in her room with a soft _'click'_ of the door behind him.

The young earth bender collapsed on the edge of her bed, head in her hands. The banished prince was the first traveler to pass through their town since the young men went off to the war front almost a year ago. The soldiers moved in for "protection" less than a month later, and no outsiders had been to town since then. Ren knew that their town wasn't much, and the thought crossed her mind that the Fire Nation might not even give it a second thought, but the people there were hard workers, and they had resources that the Fire Nation could easily exploit for their own benefit.

Ren had already decided that she had to do something, but she still felt the pain of leaving in her heart as she pulled her bag out from underneath her bed and began to pack. Although it was difficult, she knew that leaving was the best option. The prince couldn't have gotten too far, and if she traveled all through the night, she would likely be able to catch up to him by mid-morning.

She sighed to herself as she tossed a few books into her bag, along with a worn earth bending scroll that Sensu had given her. Pulling the strings of her bag tight, she left a note for her mother and brother on her pillow before taking once last look around her room, turning, and heading outside. Both Lee and their mother had been asleep for a while now, but she crept around quietly just in case. She gulped down the lump in her throat, blinked back the tears stinging the back of her eyes, and began making her way down the beaten road leading out of town.

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><p>Sorry this one was so short, guys. I thought about combining it with the next chapter, but I think I like them better split up. Hope you enjoyed! Also, thank you very much to every who reviewed andor added this story to your favorites/alert list. You guys are spectacular :)


	3. Desertion

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own anything, except for Ren, I suppose.

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><p>The first thing that Zuko saw when he woke up in the morning was the sun. He felt it before he saw it, dancing across the ground and warming him down to his core. He rolled onto his stomach, trying to block the sunlight and get a few more moments of precious sleep before setting off on his way again.<p>

His night hadn't been particularly enjoyable after he left the Earth Kingdom village. So many consecutive nights of sleeping on the ground were beginning to leave him with a stiff neck and back, and to be perfectly honest, he couldn't get the little Earth Kingdom boy's words out of his head. It wasn't the first time that someone had told him they hated him, but something about hearing it said with childlike sincerity cut him to his center.

Zuko rolled onto his back and stretched his aching muscles. He had nearly decided to roll over and go back to sleep when a small voice broke through his thoughts.

"Prince Zuko?"

He seemed to jump several feet into the air as his eyes shot open and he reached for his swords instinctively.

"I'm sorry!" The voice apologized immediately. "I didn't mean to startle you!"

When his eyes finally came into focus, he saw that the voice belonged to the girl from the village the day before. Re-sheathing his swords, he stood to look her in the eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I followed you."

"I can see that." He peered at her through slitted eyes. "Were you watching me sleep?"

The girl's cheeks immediately flushed a bright red and she seemed to be looking anywhere but at Zuko. "No, of course not! I only just walked up a second ago. I really didn't mean to startle you-"

"You never answered my first question," Zuko cut her off with a wave of his hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help."

He raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. Ren was wringing her hands together, looking up at him from beneath her bangs.

"I need to get to Ba Sing Se."

Zuko nearly scoffed. "What makes you think I'm going to Ba Sing Se?"

"Where else would you go?"

Zuko raised himself to his full height as he peered down at her, his stony face seemingly immovable. "No."

Ren's face fell visibly. "No?"

"I didn't stutter."

Her features hardened as the prince turned his back to her and began packing up his things. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean no, you are not coming with me. I don't need some child following me around all day. I'm not a babysitter."

"Child!" Ren cried, clenching her fists. "I'm hardly a year younger than you!"

Zuko paused for just a moment, giving her a once-over from the corner of his eye. "Child."

"Look," she bellowed, grabbing him by his elbow and turning him to face her. "I _need_ to get to Ba Sing Se. It's my best shot at finding an earth bending master to teach me how to bend. You're the first person to pass through this town in almost a year." She cast her eyes downward. "You're the best chance I have."

The banished prince tossed one last glance at her before mounting his ostrich horse.

"Not my problem," were his final words to her before he rode off, leaving Ren standing in the middle of the desert, dejected and alone once again.

Several moments passed in silence as the young earth bender stared into the distance, mouth slightly agape, as she watched her only hope of reaching Ba Sing Se ride away. Her fingers trembled as she clumsily tore her bag from her shoulders and tossed it onto the sand with a furious cry.

"What nerve!" She shouted to no one. "And how rude!"

The furious girl flopped to the ground in defeat. Her legs and feet were aching from walking all night, and her cheeks were visibly colored with an array of red - partially out of anger, and partially out of humiliation. Not only had the prince outright rejected her plea, but now she had to return home to her mother and brother and tell them how she had failed. She sat in contemplative silence, wondering what she was going to tell them when she finally got up the nerve to go home.

After what seemed like years, she heard a faint rumbling in the distance. Ren placed her hand on her brow in an attempt to shield herself from the sun as she gazed across the sand. Coming up the road only a few yards away was a patched, worn-looking wagon. Along the side in faded white paint, the word "cabbages" was written, the letters crooked and the paint cracked from the sun.

Ren quickly snatched her bag up and ran to the side of the road, arms waving. Perhaps she wouldn't have to walk all the way back to town after all.

"Excuse me, sir!" She called as the wagon drew closer. "Excuse me!"

The man in the wagon pulled on the reigns, causing the lizard pulling the wagon to come to a stop just a few feet from Ren. The man peered down at her from underneath the brim of his green hat.

"Yes?"

"I'm trying to get back to my village," she replied. "I couldn't help but notice that you were heading that way, and I was wondering if you would mind to give me a ride?"

The gray-haired man seemed to stare at her for a long while, his eyes scrutinizing.

"I could pay you-" Ren began, her hand going to the strings of her bag, but the man held up his hand to stop her.

"Do you like cabbages?"

For a moment Ren wondered if he was joking with her, but his face showed no amusement.

"Yes, sir."

He nodded. "And would you ever, in any way, shape, or form, _harm_ a cabbage?"

"Never intentionally, sir."

The merchant's eyes narrowed analytically, but he seemed pleased. "Then I would be honored to escort you home."

Ren thanked him graciously as she hoisted herself onto the wagon beside of him. He offered her a cabbage, which she accepted, and then they took off down the road - away from Ba Sing Se, away from Ren's hope of finding an earth bending teacher, and away from that God-awful banished prince.

Ren knew it was a long shot, asking to travel with Prince Zuko; she barely knew him and he had nothing at all to gain by traveling with her. Truthfully, in the deepest parts of her mind, she understood why he had rejected her. With bending skills that were decent at best, she would be no help if they were to encounter thieves, Fire Nation soldiers, or any other sort of threat. If she was honest with herself, she knew that she probably would have been about as useful as a child and, although he was more than capable, it was unfair to ask him to take care of her.

Realistically, it was likely better for her to return home to Lee and her mother. At least at home she could be of some use with household duties such as cooking and sewing, so her mother wouldn't have to do it all by herself. Of course it would mean sacrificing the opportunity to improve her bending, since the soldiers had vowed to cart anyone caught bending off to the war. But perhaps she was being selfish anyway, running off to Ba Sing Se in the middle of the night, with a man she'd met hardly twenty-four hours before - a man who turned out to be a banished Fire Nation prince, at that!

The wagon jolted to a stop, pulling Ren out of her musings.

"I believe this is your stop."

Ren nodded to the merchant and thanked him again for the ride. Politely declining his offer of a second cabbage, she climbed out of the wagon front and walked underneath the decorated arch into town.

The cabbage merchant had hardly pulled away when she saw him. Until then she had only seen drawings on leaflets in the town shops, but he was still unmistakable. He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the road, at the far end of the main drag, with his staff resting across his folded legs. He looked as though he'd been trampled by a herd of saber-tooth moose-lions, and Ren could see the dark circles beneath his eyes, even from a distance. She continued to stare at him for a moment, caught somewhere between a state of surprise and awe, until she heard someone approach from the other end of town, opposite the Avatar.

Ren bolted into an abandoned shop to avoid being seen. She dropped to her knees on the dusty floor and crawled to the window, resting her chin on the sill so she could see what was happening.

"Alright," the Avatar spoke. "You've caught up with me. Now who are you and what do you want?"

Ren could see that the other person was a girl slightly younger than her, with midnight-colored hair and traditional Fire Nation garb.

"You mean you haven't guessed yet? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint." The girl's voice dropped considerably and she covered one of her eyes with her hand. "I must capture the Avatar to restore my honor!"

The Avatar's face was stony, but the girl only smirked. "It's okay, you can laugh. It's _funny_."

"So what now?"

"Now? Now, it's over." Her voice was laced with so much confidence that it was eery. "You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you."

The Avatar rose to his feet, narrowing his tired eyes at her. "I'm not running."

A frightening smile spread over the girl's face. She had only just began to raise her hands in attack when another shadow spread between them, coming from the same place Ren had been standing only a few moments before. The girl smirked as she saw who was there.

"Do you _really_ want to fight me?" She challenged.

"Yes," the stranger spoke, and Ren recognized the voice in an instant. "I really do."

"Zuko!" The Avatar cried, but whether or not it was excitement she heard in his voice, Ren could not be sure.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu." The girl continued, unfazed.

The Avatar let out a small chuckle as Zuko assumed his fire bending stance. Although he was facing the girl, his arms were stretched toward both her and the Avatar.

"Back off, Azula!" He shouted, addressing the girl. "He's mine!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Time seemed to creep by as Zuko appeared to be conflicted over who he should attack. His golden eyes flicked from the girl (Azula, Ren assumed), to the Avatar, then back again.

The Fire Nation girl was the first to attack, launching a blast of blue at Zuko, which he blocked with his own wall of fire. Ren had never seen nor heard of anyone bending blue fire before, and she wondering who this mysterious girl was. Clearly she was a skilled bender, as she knocked the Avatar out of the air with her assault of blue. He landed safely, dodging subsequent blasts from Azula, who in turn was being pelted with fire by Zuko.

Azula chased the Avatar to the upper floor of a gutted building. She stormed inside, her eyes widening in alarm when she realized the building had no floor. She nearly fell to the bottom as the Avatar watched from the opposite side, but she recovered gracefully. Zuko, however, barreled in at full speed, immediately running clear off the landing and falling to the bottom with a crash and a cry of surprise.

The Avatar jumped to the opposite side of the upper floor, knocking Azula off the ledge and to the bottom, where she landed with ease next to Zuko, who was struggling to stand. Ren's eyes darted to the Avatar, who had run out onto the street. An explosion of blue fire followed, decimating one of the building's walls and hurling the Fire Nation prince onto the street.

The Avatar was busy scaling the side of a building, attempting to avoid the blue blasts being thrown his way. When he reached the top of the building, Azula sliced a triangular chunk out of the building's base with her bending, causing the Avatar to stumble, but quickly recover. When she sliced a second chunk, however, both the building and the Avatar came tumbling down in a heap of dust and rubble.

Ren's breath caught in her throat as the trapped Avatar was engulfed in a room of fire. The girl was stalking ever closer to him, her face twisted into a sick, menacing grin. She had him. She had won.

Ren hadn't even seen the second girl until she had already jumped into action. As Azula raised her hand for a final blow to the Avatar, the second girl used water bending to summon a water whip, grabbing her poised hand and yanking her backwards. She went on to use her water whip to free the Avatar from the debris pinning him.

"Katara!" He cried gleefully, his mouth spread into a wide grin.

Ren averted her eyes to Zuko, who was still laying on the ground, an older man standing over him.

"Uncle?"

"Get up!" The man shouted, offering Zuko his outstretched hand and hauling him to his feet.

The Avatar and the brown-haired girl were simultaneously firing blasts at Azula, who was steadily falling backwards. Suddenly, she was pushed to the ground from behind, revealing a young earth bending girl.

Ren's heart skipped a beat, her eyes wide as she stared at the new girl. She had seen her picture hundreds of times in her books, but never thought she would actually see her in person. She knew that Toph Bei Fong had recently run away from home, as there were wanted fliers posted across every shop in town. It wasn't until a few days ago, however, that Ren learned that Toph Bei Fong was actually the Blind Bandit, a remarkable earth bender she had idolized for years.

"I thought you guys could use a little help." Toph stated simply with a shrug.

Azula had recovered by now and was running at her opponents, blasts of fire shooting out of her hands in rapid succession. She had nearly reached the end of the main drag when she ran directly into the older man's large belly, bouncing off and looking utterly confused. As she shook her head and regained her composure, she found herself surrounded by Zuko and the older man, as well as the Avatar, Toph, the water bending girl, and a boy Ren hadn't noticed before.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together." Azula raised her hands in defeat. "I'm done; I know when I'm beaten. A princess surrenders with _honor._"

She cast a pointed look at Zuko with her last word, then flicked her eyes quickly across the group members facing her. Her eyes focused in on the older man, who seemed distracted momentarily, and blue fire sprung from her fingertips, hitting the man squarely in the chest. Zuko cried out as the man fell, and in an instant, the remaining benders fired powerful shots at Azula. She blocked with a wall of fire, but the contact sparked a tremendous explosion. When the smoke began to clear, Azula was gone, but Zuko was hovering over his uncle despairingly.

"Get away from us!" He cried, clenching his fists tight and gritting his teeth as the others approached.

"Zuko, I can help!" The water bending girl offered, her hand outstretched.

"Leave!" Zuko's voice boomed through the streets as he unleashed a burning wave over their heads.

The Avatar and the girl, Katara, shared a meaningful look, but the group did as they were told, leaving Zuko and the man amongst the destruction. The young prince's shoulders shook intensely, but whether he was sobbing or quaking with anger, Ren couldn't be sure. Only a few moments passed before he lifted the man onto his ostrich horse, mounted, and rode off again.

Ren waited until she was sure they had gone to come out of the shop she was hiding in. She stood in the middle of her town, the place she had lived her entire life, surrounded by demolished buildings and charred debris. The sting from the smoke licked viciously at her eyes as she watched her greatest opportunity disappear along the horizon.

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><p>Is it painfully obvious that I absolutely detest fight scenes? Anyway, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, andor added my story to your favorites/alert list! You are all quite spectacular indeed :)


	4. Of Thunderstorms and Tea

**Disclaimer: **As per usual, I don't own anything other than Ren.

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><p>Zuko hated tea.<p>

He really didn't understand how Uncle could drink it _all the time_. It tasted okay, he supposed, but the Agni-forsaken drink was just so difficult to make.

Uncle had always made it look simple, but as Zuko sat on the floor of the abandoned house, he realized he had no idea where to begin. He thought he had everything he needed, but between the water, tea leaves, and some strange looking wire thing, he found himself completely lost.

Uncle snored loudly against the back wall as Zuko stared helplessly at the items scattered in front of him on the dusty floor. An exasperated sigh snuck through his lips as he began pouring water into the teapot. Might as well start with something he actually knew how to do.

He'd managed to bend a piece of metal into something suitable to put the teapot on, and he placed it over a small fire in the middle of the room, with the teapot on top. Uncle only had one container of tea leaves in his bag, so at least he didn't have to worry about choosing the wrong kind. He sniffed the contents apprehensively, wondering how much he was supposed to use.

Holding the tin at arm's length, he peered into the pot cautiously. It was about halfway full of water, so that meant...

Zuko dumped the entire tin into the pot with a shrug. Satisfied with himself, he placed the lid on the pot and sat back to wait for the tea to boil. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of metal.

What on earth _was_ that wire thing?

For a moment, Zuko glanced back and forth between the teapot and the ridiculous wire contraption. Another sigh escaped him. He had been doing so well!

He looked side to side quickly, as if making sure no one was watching him. Then, with a swift flick of his wrist, he flung the wire tool out of the open window. Maybe Uncle wouldn't notice.

Grabbing a teacup from Uncle's bag, Zuko poured himself a bit of tea and took a sip. He blanched and promptly tossed himself over the windowsill, spiting his tea out with a groan. What had he done wrong?

"Ah," he whispered, plunging his hand into Uncle's bag.

He pulled out a small jar of honey. Now, if he put in a full tin of tea leaves, that must mean...

The young prince reached for a spoon, using it to scrape the jar's contents into the pot. He nodded to himself, satisfied, as he tossed the empty honey jar aside. Surely Uncle would be pleased.

The older man stirred beside him, mumbling groggily.

"Uncle!"

Iroh's eyes opened to meet his.

"You were unconscious," Zuko explained. "Azula did this to you. It was a surprise attack."

Iroh grunted in pain at his attempt to sit up. The bandages on his chest and shoulder were restricting, and although he knew he had healed considerably, he could still feel the fire itching beneath his skin.

"Somehow, that's not so surprising."

"Here," Zuko's arm was extended, a cup of tea steaming in his hands. "I hope I made it the way you like."

Iroh took the cup graciously, his eyes widening upon taking a sip.

"That was very, uh... bracing!"

"So Uncle, I've been thinking..." Zuko began, oddly anxious. "It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced fire bending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her-"

Iroh held up a hand to silence his nephew.

"No, she's crazy and she needs to go down."

With great difficulty, he hauled himself to his feet. Pain ripped through his left side, but he ignored it.

"It's time to resume your training."

Zuko gave a nod, prepared to finally learn some upper-level fire bending techniques. Before he could respond, however, a knock came at the front door of the abandoned house. The poor thing quaked unstably, seeming to wheeze beneath the slight pressure of a knock.

"A visitor," Iroh observed. "It's almost like being at home."

Zuko frowned slightly as he made his way to the door. He threw it open impatiently, fully intending to tell whoever it was to _go away_ when-

"Hello!"

Jade eyes stared up at him expectantly and he felt his face harden instantly. Wordlessly, the prince turned on his heel, slamming the door with a reverberating _bang!_

"Solicitor?" Iroh's voice was tinged with amusement.

Behind them, the fragile door gave a slow creak before falling to the ground in a cloud of splintered dust. There was a cough from the other side of the frame, and the persistent little earth bender stepped through.

"Well, that was rude."

Zuko's frown deepened.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded.

Ren opened her mouth to respond, but Zuko cut her off sharply. "Never mind. I already told you, you're not coming with me."

Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She parted her lips to speak again, but Iroh interrupted.

"Zuko, where have your manners gone? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"She's not my friend," Zuko mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "This is Ren."

"Ren," Iroh repeated. He had already made his way forward and grasped her hand in greeting. "A lovely name for an equally lovely girl."

Ren beamed and thanked him, but Zuko just rolled his eyes. That girl was anything but lovely. Her persistence annoyed him, and frankly, he was beginning to wonder if she wasn't a bit of a stalker.

"So tell me, Ren," Iroh was saying, "To what do we owe the pleasure of this lovely, although unexpected, visit?"

"Oh!"

Ren's fingers flew to the mouth of her bag. She pried it open and reached inside, retrieving a small glass bottle. Golden liquid sloshed inside, amber ribbons swirling together as she thrust the vial into the older man's hands.

"This is for you. It's made from banana leaves. My mother used to give it to my brother and father when they got hurt working outside, and I read once that it can help with burns, so I thought, for your injury..."

Zuko scoffed.

"You followed us all the way out here to give us some banana medicine? How did you even know-" His eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't tell me you followed me back into that town, too."

"I happen to _live_ in that town, thank you very much. At least I did, before that crazy girl with the blue fire came in and blew half of it up."

"That doesn't change the fact that you've been following me around for the past three days like some sort of crazy-"

"Zuko," Iroh cut across, his hand coming to rest on his nephew's shoulder. "Calm yourself. I am sure your friend has a valid reason for her actions, if you would give her a chance to explain herself."

Zuko's huff of, "She is _not_ my friend" went unheard as Ren spoke again, her eyes locked with the scarred prince.

"After you told me I couldn't travel with you, I was angry, and I was embarrassed that I even asked. I kind of ... gave up, I guess. I figured I should just go back home, so I caught a ride into town. But then I saw the Avatar-" Zuko perked at the mention. "-and that girl, so I hid. Then you showed up and everyone was bending all over the place ... I didn't come out until I was sure everyone had gone. I didn't come here to ask you to take me with you; I just wanted to give your uncle some medicine, and then I was going to leave."

Zuko bit back the urge to respond when he caught his uncle sending a chastising glance his way. He couldn't help but feel a bit like a small child when Uncle gave him that look, as if he had done something that warranted a time out or a scolding.

Zuko could feel his agitation growing by the minute. He was ready to be rid of this bothersome little Earth Kingdom girl so he and Uncle could finally get on with his training.

"So, you have asked to travel with my nephew, is that correct?" Iroh questioned. His eyes held a certain mischievous gleam in them that Zuko knew too well. For him, unfortunately, it usually didn't bode well.

"I did," Ren replied.

"I see. And why did you do that?"

The young girl's face fell. Her eyes darted across the room, and when they finally came to rest on Zuko, he noticed that she looked surprisingly embarrassed. Her face was tinged bright red, in violent contrast with her lighter skin, and he couldn't help wondering what on Earth her problem was.

"You were my only hope." She was speaking directly to Zuko now. Her emerald eyes were fixed on him, boring holes under his skin. "For a year my family and I waited, hoping to hear something from the war front. It's been a year since I saw my brother, and until a few days ago we had no clue if he was dead or alive. For a year we've waited, wondering if the Fire Nation was going to come for us too. And if they did, we would have been helpless. My father was a skilled swordsman when he was younger, but he's not like he used to be. And now that he's gone off after Sensu, we're completely vulnerable-"

"So you left them?" Zuko could hold his tongue no longer. "You deserted your mother and brother for no reason? You're a bender, you could have protected them if-"

"I'm barely a bender!" Her voice was rising and Zuko could feel his body heating up. "I'm lucky if I can bend a small rock at someone on a good day, let alone take on a bunch of fire benders! I left them because I need someone to teach me how to bend. If I learn to bend, I can fight. I'll be more use to them that way."

"So you ran off with the first person you saw?" Zuko's voice was getting louder now too. He pulled himself up to his full height as he glowered down at her. "You don't even know me! I'm a banished Fire Nation _prince_! I could kill you if I wanted to!"

"But you haven't!"

"But I _could_! You were crazy for trying to come with me! You don't even know where I'm going! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I need to help my family! I'm just trying to do my part to end this stupid war! I already told you, you were the first person to come thro-"

"So what?" He was shouting at her now, his arms flailing wildly in frustration. "Why couldn't you just wait for someone else? Or go alone? _Why me?_"

"Because I trust you!"

Ren's shout reverberated through the room, seeming to bounce off the walls and fly back at Zuko over and over. She was glaring up at him, her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched, with a look of sheer determination plastered across her face. Yet somehow her words held a sort of naive innocence, and each word struck him like a blow to the stomach.

"You shouldn't."

And with that, the fire bender stomped off, leaving the girl and the old man alone and surrounded by silence.

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><p>Hours seemed to pass as Ren and Iroh stood in the center of the abandoned house, neither one saying a word. Somehow, Ren felt, her run-ins with Zuko always seemed to end up this way.<p>

"I don't think he likes me very much." She said with a small smile, mostly in an attempt to break the silence.

"It's nothing personal," Iroh said, returning her smile. "There are not many people whom my nephew genuinely likes. Sometimes, I wonder if he even likes me!"

He tossed his head back in a hearty bellow of laughter, which caused Ren to laugh as well. Despite the circumstances, he made her feel oddly at ease.

"Come, sit down."

He led her to the middle of the room where a teapot sat atop a small fire. Ren hadn't even noticed it when she walked in.

"Do you like tea?" She asked, taking a seat across from the older man.

"Oh yes! I have yet to encounter a single one of life's difficulties that could not be lessened by a cup of tea. I would offer you a cup, but unfortunately my nephew has not yet mastered the art of brewing tea."

Ren nearly giggled at the thought. She could hardly imagine the hotheaded fire bender ever brewing tea.

"I hope," Iroh continued. "That you will not be put off by my nephew's actions. He is often short-tempered, but he will come around. He just needs time."

Ren gave a nod to show that she understood. She honestly hadn't intended on asking Zuko if she could travel with him again. One rejection was plenty for her. But if the elder fire bender thought some good could come from her sticking around, then perhaps she would. And if it was time that Zuko needed, then it was time he was going to get.

* * *

><p>Zuko could feel the sun beating down on his shoulders as he made his way along the beaten road, trying to clear his mind. Everything had been going just fine until that girl had to show up again. Where did she get off anyway, waltzing in there with her banana juice, laying out some sob story about her family? And the nerve of her to say that she trusted him! She hardly knew him! If that girl expected them to just let her walk on in and start traveling with them, she had another thing coming.<p>

He sighed. Girls are crazy.

It didn't take him long to reach the next town, as it was hardly a two-mile walk. Ahead of him, Zuko could see a crooked wooden sign that read, "The Shaded Jade." His lips turned upward ever so slightly - that was exactly what he had been hoping for.

In less than four strides, he was at the shop front. There didn't seem to be anyone around to help him, so he decided to wait. Behind the counter, the back wall was lined with shelves, each one overflowing with little metal tins. Each tin had a small white label on it, with everything from "Maharaja Chai" to "Golden Jade." The fire bender sighed. Why did tea have to be so complicated?

Just as he was about to give up on getting any service, a short, elderly woman rounded the corner, wiping her aged hands on her apron.

"Oh!" She cried upon seeing a customer. "How may I help you?"

Zuko shifted awkwardly. "I need to buy some tea."

"Well you've come to the right place, sonny. What kind of tea do you need?"

"Uh ... jasmine? Do you have jasmine?"

"Of course we do!" She gestured to the wall behind her. "We have Thousand Mountain Jasmine, Jasmine Oolong, Peachberry Jasmine Sutra, Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls, a lovely Jasmine Tropica blend..."

Zuko could feel his eye twitch involuntarily in aggravation. "Do you just have regular jasmine?"

The woman smiled as she pulled one of the metal tins off the shelf. "Jasmine Oolong it is. How much?"

"Uh..." Zuko stammered. He reached in his pocket, pulling out a few copper coins he'd found at the bottom of his bag earlier that day. "However much this will get me."

The elderly woman nodded as she began scooping tea leaves from the full tin to an empty one. "I do love jasmine tea; it always relaxes me. My husband and I drank it on our first date, you know. Perhaps you can share this with a special lady friend...?"

She winked at him as she set the canister on the counter in front of him. Zuko frowned.

"It's for my uncle," he mumbled, turning on his heel and stomping away.

He _really_ hated tea.

* * *

><p>"So," Ren began in an attempt to strike up a conversation. The silence in the room was becoming too much for her. "Have you been to Ba Sing Se before?"<p>

Iroh smiled wearily. His eyes seemed to look right through the young earth bender, his smile distant, as if he were a thousand miles away.

"Yes, I have seen the great Outer Wall only once in my life. But that was many years ago, when I was a different man."

There was a moment of silence before the former General continued again.

"When my nephew returns, I intend to have a word with him concerning your request to travel with him. I cannot, in good conscience, let a young woman travel on her own, unarmed."

"But he already said-"

Iroh held up a hand to silence her. "I am aware of my nephew's hesitations, but you will find that I can be quite persuasive when I want to be! It will not inconvenience us to offer you companionship, at least for a day or two."

Ren thanked him graciously, glad that she wouldn't have to travel on her own, at least for a while. Truthfully, she had no idea how to get to Ba Sing Se. She had a map in her bag, but her map-reading skills weren't exactly up to par, so she was thankful to have that bit of security for a couple of days.

No sooner had Ren finished thanking the older man, than Zuko came through the door frame, climbing over the splintered mess that used to be the front door.

"I got you some more tea," he said, shoving a small metal tin into his uncle's hands before taking his place on the floor.

"Oh!" Iroh cried as he pulled the lid off the tin and took a whiff. "Ah, jasmine oolong! My favorite!"

He grabbed the teapot and made his way over to the window sill, dumping the old tea over the edge. As he did so, he cast a quick glance over his shoulder, giving Ren a sly smile and a wink that clearly said, _"I told you so."_

The dark-haired girl allowed her eyes to fall on the young prince, who was now sharpening his broadswords and making a point to look anywhere but at her. Maybe she was crazy for ever trying to travel with him in the first place. He _was_ Fire Nation nobility, after all. And now here she was, sitting in an abandoned house with a banished prince and one of the Fire Nation's most infamous generals. Yes, she decided, she was definitely crazy.

"Listen closely, Zuko." Iroh said as he handed his nephew and Ren each a steaming cup of tea. "You too, Ren. You may learn something from this as well."

He took a seat across from the two teenagers, swirls of wispy vapor rising from his own cup of tea.

"Lightning is a pure expression of fire bending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other fire bending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire." He took a sip of his tea. "It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind."

"I see," Zuko stated, staring down into his cup. "That's why we're drinking tea - to calm the mind."

"Oh yeah, good point! Uh, I mean, yes."

Ren glanced between the two of them, the tea cup warming her hands. So that was what the girl had been doing - bending lightning. She had never heard of it before, but the thought gave her chills. It looked deadlier than anything she had seen before.

"Come," Iroh addressed his nephew as he placed his empty cup on the ground. "It is time to resume your training."

* * *

><p>A few yards away from the deserted house, Zuko found himself standing on the edge of a hill with his uncle opposite him. If he looked to his left, he could see a vast valley with a walled, abandoned city at the bottom. To his right, he only saw Ren, sitting on the steps leading up to the house, her chin resting on her palms.<p>

"There is energy all around us," Iroh said, and Zuko turned to face him. "The energy is both yin and yang; positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few fire benders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

He held out his hand, signaling for Zuko to step back. His right hand was by his side with two fingers extended. Lightning began to spark from his fingers as he rotated his arm in a circular motion, mimicking the movement with his other arm. Then, he brought his two hands together, lunged forward with his right hand extended, and shot a powerful bolt of lightning into the distance.

"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko cried enthusiastically.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it." Iroh was rubbing his injured shoulder tenderly. "You are simply its humble guide. _Breathe first._"

Zuko took a deep breath, closing his eyes. If Azula could do this, then so could he. He had to.

The younger fire bender began to mimic the motions he had seen his uncle perform, but no traces of lightning sparked from his fingertips. With a shout, he tossed his right hand forward. Fire exploded from his hand with enough force to knock him backwards, propelling him to the ground next to Iroh.

"Come on," the older man extended his hand and helped his nephew to his feet. "Let's try again."

So Zuko tried again. And again. And again. And each time, he was rewarded with a fiery explosion and a total lack of lightning. He could feel the sweat collecting on his brow and his hands were nearly shaking. He had to do this. He had to.

When his next attempt ended in another explosion, he tossed his arms up in frustration.

"Why can't I do it?" He shouted. "Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does."

"I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside of you."

"What turmoil?" Zuko shouted, turning to face his uncle.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."

"But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!"

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."

"Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately..."

Iroh sighed as his face fell into a frown.

"I have another idea. I will teach you a fire bending move that even Azula doesn't know. Because I," he jerked his thumb toward his chest with a light smirk, "made it up myself!"

Zuko smiled. Learning a fire bending move that Azula didn't know would mean that he would have an advantage over her the next time they met. She wouldn't get the best of him, not again.

Iroh led him a few feet away from where they were and sat on the ground, cross-legged, with a stick in his hand.

"Fire is the element of power," he said as he drew the symbol of fire bending in the dirt with the stick. "The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

Zuko nodded. If there was ever a perfect way to describe the Fire Nation, that was it.

"Earth is the element of substance," Iroh continued, drawing the earth bending symbol. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring, much like your friend."

"She's not my friend!" Zuko huffed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

Iroh simply smiled. "You should consider being a bit more friendly. Perhaps you should pay her a compliment. Ladies love compliments!" He nudged his nephew in the side with his elbow, winking. "Perhaps she may stick around a bit longer, then!"

Zuko frowned. "I don't _want _her to stick around..."

Iroh ignored him as he drew the symbol of air bending in the dirt. "Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!"

The old general smiled widely, but Zuko didn't react. Seemingly unfazed, Iroh drew the final bending symbol.

"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."

"Why are you telling me these things?" Zuko questioned.

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." He drew two perpendicular lines to separate the four elements, further illustrating his point. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole."

"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff."

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But, it can make you more powerful too!" He poked his nephew in the chest with the stick lightly. "You see, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the water benders."

Zuko's interest was piqued. Azula would never suspect a move inspired by water bending!

"Water benders deal with the flow of energy," Iroh explained. "A water bender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponent's energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning."

"You can teach me to redirect lightning?" Zuko cried excitedly.

Iroh simply nodded.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it."

He held his right arm in the air, pointing at it with his other hand.

"You must create a pathway from your fingertips up your arm, to your shoulder and down into your stomach."

He moved his left hand from his arm, to his shoulder, then down to his stomach.

"The stomach his the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case, it is more like a vast ocean!"

He threw his head back, his laughter reverberating from deep within his stomach. Zuko, on the other hand, remained stone-faced. Iroh recollected himself and pointed into the distance with his left arm raised.

"The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart," he poked Zuko in the chest for emphasis, "or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a physical motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow. Like this."

Zuko mirrored him as he raised both of his arms and pointed to the left, then took his right arm and pointed in the opposite direction. Both men began moving their left arms to the right, then back again.

"Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?"

"I think so..."

Zuko continued to practice the motions. Beside him, Iroh was wiggling his arms at his sides.

"Come on, you've got to feel the flow!"

Zuko could hear Ren's laugh from the steps of the house. He tried to ignore them both as he carried on with the motions: in, down, up, and out. In, down, up, and out.

The words had become almost a mantra by the time Uncle finally shouted, "Excellent! You've got it!"

Zuko looked up, slightly startled by his uncle's words. He let his hands fall at his sides and turned his face toward the sky. It only felt like minutes that he had been practicing, but the dark clouds that had moved in made him wonder how long they had actually been out there.

He bowed slightly as he turned to face his uncle.

"Great!" He cried. "I'm ready to try it with real lightning!"

"What, are you crazy?" Uncle exclaimed. "Lightning is very dangerous!"

"It thought that was the point - you teaching me how to protect myself from it.

"But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" His uncle was practically frantic at this point, his arms flying wildly around him. "If you are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all!"

Zuko glowered. A clap of thunder roared in the distance, catching his attention.

"Well if you won't help me, then I'll find my own lightning."

Iroh made a move as if he were going to try to stop him, but he seemed to change his mind. His arms fell to his sides in defeat as the banished prince mounted his ostrich horse and rode off into the impending storm.

* * *

><p>The hour after Zuko left found Ren and Iroh huddled around a small fire in the center of the abandoned house, the storm raging around them. The unstable house shook and creaked mercilessly, constantly threatening to give way to the howling winds outside. Neither Ren nor Iroh had said a word after Zuko's departure; Iroh seemed to be lost in thought and Ren simply had no clue what to say. Rain was pelting against the walls like a thousand tiny needles, each trying desperately to make their way inside.<p>

"Do you think he'll come back?" Ren whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of the storm.

"Yes," Iroh replied as he warmed his hands over the fire. "My nephew is stubborn, but he is no fool."

The Dragon of the West let his eyes focus in on the earth bender sitting opposite him. She was hugging her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around her small frame in an attempt to keep herself warm. Her eyes were downcast, but her face held an odd mixture of confusion, fear, and concern. Iroh sighed.

"You truly had no idea what you were getting into when you asked to travel with my nephew, did you?"

He could see the faintest hint of a blush tinge her cheeks before she turned her face away, embarrassed. She shook her head.

"No, I guess I didn't..."

He frowned.

"Perhaps it is best if I tell you a bit about my nephew. Then you can decide if you truly wish to accompany us or not."

Ren turned her face to him again, her right cheek resting on her folded arms. Iroh took a deep breath, and began.

"Prince Zuko was only thirteen when he got his scar. His father, Fire Lord Ozai, was holding a meeting to discuss a potential invasion. Zuko was allowed to attend, but only under the condition that he not speak. But as you may have noticed, he is not yet skilled in the art of holding his tongue."

Ren cracked a small smile at the truth of his statement.

"A certain general planned to send a group of newly trained soldiers to the front lines, essentially on a suicide mission. Zuko, as you might guess, voiced his opposition to such a plan. He was challenged to an Agni Kai - a sort of duel between two fire benders. Prince Zuko expected to fight against the general he spoke out against, but in reality, it was the Fire Lord who he had disrespected. He unintentionally accepted an Agni Kai against his own father.

"When Prince Zuko realized what had happened, he refused to fight. But Fire Lord Ozai saw this as dishonorable. I had to look away, so I did not see it happen, but it was Zuko's father who gave him his scar. He was then banished from the Fire Nation, only to return once he has captured the Avatar. Only then will the Fire Lord restore his honor."

Ren sat in stunned silence. Her mind flew back to thoughts of her own father, back to thoughts that seemed a lifetime away. She and her father fought occasionally, as all parents and children are apt to do, but she knew that her father would never intentionally hurt her. She couldn't imagine what kind of person Fire Lord Ozai must be to cause such pain to his own child, no matter the reason.

"My nephew has done many awful things in his quest to capture the Avatar," Iroh continued. "But only because he believes that is the only way to regain his honor. He is confused, and I fear that his internal struggles are becoming too much for him to bear. But he is not a bad man, and I truly believe that, in the end, he will choose what is right."

Ren took a deep breath, the smell of rain and burning embers filling her nostrils as she tried to let everything she had just heard sink in. She never would have guessed that the young man Lee brought home would have such a dark and complicated past. There was no doubt in her mind now that she acted foolishly by blindly following him.

"All I know," she said, her voice quiet, "is that he took the fall for my little brother when Lee needed him to. Then he helped my father patch up the roof of our barn, and when those soldiers threatened to send Lee and I to the war front, he came back for us. He didn't have to, but he did. That's all I know, but I think that's enough for me."

Iroh patted her soldier lightly, a ghost of a smile playing across his face.

"Try to get some sleep now, Ren."

As she lay her head on top of her bag, turning her back to Iroh, Ren's mind was plagued with thoughts of home, her parents, and a certain scarred prince. With the storm outside singing her a lullaby and shadows from the fire dancing across the wall, Ren's last thought before she drifted off was that she hoped he was going to be okay.

* * *

><p>First off, I just want to say that I am so, so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I've been really busy lately with my three summer classes, plus my parents and I are moving next week, and I'm the maid of honor in my friend's wedding on Sunday, so things have been pretty crazy. Hopefully the length of this chapter makes up for it just a little bit :)<p>

Also, I wanted to remind you all that this story is a bit AU (hence why the village where Azula showed up was the same as the one where Zuko fought the soldiers); therefore, some things may not entirely match up with the series.

Finally, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and/or added this story to your favorites/story alert list. It honestly really makes my day when I get that little e-mail telling me I have a review. And this story now has a little over 500 hits, which is amazing! You are all honestly so fantastic, and I can't thank you enough for reading, reviewing, etc. I know this chapter was a bit _blah_, but it was necessary. The next chapter picks up a bit more, and even includes a tiny bit of Zuko/Ren fluff ;)

Which reminds me, constructive criticism/comments are welcomed and encouraged! If you love Ren, hate her, think Iroh was totally out of character, etc. please let me know! I can't improve if I don't know what I'm doing wrong, right?


	5. The Road to Ba Sing Se, Part I

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything you recognize, sadly.

* * *

><p>It was late morning before the now-trio set off again. Although the storm had let up early that morning and the sun was now shining brightly overhead, Zuko's clothes were still damp from the rain. The storm raged long after he finally came back to the house the night before, and although he was unsure what time he had actually gotten back, he knew it had been late. Both Ren and his uncle were asleep when he returned, but something about changing clothes with a girl in the room seemed awkward whether she was asleep or not. Going outside to change would have been entirely foolish, so he had simply laid down on the floor next to his uncle, as far away from the Earth Kingdom girl as he could get.<p>

Between the uncomfortable squishing of his clothes and Uncle's snoring, Zuko hardly got an hour's worth of sleep before the sun came up. Ren and his uncle woke first, and the soft murmurs of their voices, along with the clanking of Uncle making breakfast tea, kept him from being able to go back to sleep. Besides, the smell of boiled rice and cabbage was making his stomach growl, reminding him that he had neglected dinner the night before.

Ren and his uncle both bid him a quick "good morning," neither saying a word about his escapade.

"Here," Ren said, placing a bowl of cabbage rice in his hands. "I made breakfast this morning. Your uncle and I will pack up while you eat, then we can head out."

Zuko mumbled a nearly inaudible "thank you," his mind still foggy with sleep. But as he shoveled a spoonful of breakfast into his mouth, he couldn't help thinking that, if nothing else, the girl at least made a pretty decent breakfast.

He finished his food quickly, eager to be back on the road. Ren and Iroh had indeed packed up the ostrich horse while he had been eating and were both ready to leave by the time he was done.

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked.

"There is a small town not too far from here, just on the edge of the desert." Iroh replied. "I believe it will be worth our time to make a brief stop there."

Zuko nodded as he mounted the ostrich horse, with his uncle behind him and Ren squeezed between the two. He tugged on the reins and nudged the beast in the sides slightly, willing it to take off. Ren let out a small squeak of surprise as she wobbled behind him, and he felt her hand reach out to clutch the back of his shirt in an attempt to regain her balance, letting go almost immediately.

"You have not ridden many ostrich horses in your day, have you, Ren?" Iroh asked, his voice colored by laughter.

"Uh..." Ren's voice shook ever so slightly, her apprehension apparent. "Not really. We had a few back home, but my father and brothers were usually the ones who rode them. I rode a couple of times with my father when I was a little girl, but that was a long time ago."

"Ah, well perhaps it may help you to hold on. It would be most unfortunate if you were to fall, especially without a healer around."

Ren frowned lightly, turning her head from side to side.

"Um, hold on to ... what, exactly?"

"To my nephew, of course."

"Oh! I ... um ... yeah, okay. Right."

Zuko sputtered. He didn't have to look behind him to know that his uncle was grinning madly. He honestly couldn't understand why Uncle enjoyed putting him in such awkward situations. There was really no need for-

He stiffened as her arms snaked their way around his waist. Her small hands came together in front of him, their fingers interlocking just over his naval. Her palms were pressing lightly into his stomach, but the rest of her was barely touching him so that he almost couldn't feel her at all. His cheeks were growing warm as a light blush crept into them, and suddenly his whole body felt hot; the last girl to wrap her arms around him had been...

Zuko shook his head. Those memories seemed like they were from a different life now. _Mai_ seemed like she was from a different life now.

* * *

><p>The rest of their trip passed without much conflict. They had a brief altercation with the Rough Rhinos in which, Zuko noted bitterly, Ren proved to be completely useless. Otherwise, they were forced to take frequent breaks between Uncle's incessant whining and the ostrich horse's inability to carry three passengers for too long. Fortunately, they were able to make it to town in a relatively decent amount of time; it was only about mid-afternoon when they arrived.<p>

"Ah, the ice springs!" Iroh declared as the three rode into town.

"Ice springs?" Zuko questioned. "In the desert?"

"Yes, this town is known for its infamous frozen glacier. But I am afraid it seems to have, eh, gone a bit down hill since I was last here."

The elder fire bender tied the ostrich horse to a wooden post outside a shady-looking saloon, and together the three walked into the smoke-filled darkness inside. The bar seemed to be filled with dirt-covered men, none looking particularly friendly.

"No one here is going to help us," Zuko's voice was sour. "These people just look like filthy wanderers."

"So do we!" Iroh said brightly.

He flashed a grin at his nephew, who crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. Ren stifled a small smile.

"Ah, this is interesting." He gestured to an older, bald man sitting at a Pai Sho table in the back corner of the bar. "I think I've found our friend."

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko asked as the three made their way over to the man at the table.

"I don't think this is a gamble."

Iroh sent a wink over his shoulder at the two teenagers as he sat down across from the other man. Zuko cast a momentary glance at Ren, who simply shrugged.

"May I have this game?"

"The guest has the first move."

Iroh placed a lotus tile in the middle of the board.

"Ah," the man's eyes twinkled in the light, "You favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways."

"Those who do can always find a friend."

The two men shared a meaningful look for a second and Uncle's opponent gave a small smile.

"Then let us play."

He placed another tile on the board, which Iroh countered with his own. Zuko pulled a chair over to the table and was about to sit when he noticed Ren from the corner of his eye, her eyes intently focused on the men in front of her. His uncle's words from the day before echoed in his head.

"_You should consider being a bit more friendly..."_

Zuko sighed, defeated.

"Uh," he gestured awkwardly to the chair. "You can ... uh ... yeah."

She looked surprised, but smiled anyway as she sat down.

"Thank you."

Zuko didn't respond. He pulled a second chair over, sitting down next to her and watching the game unfolding in front on him. The bald man set down another tile, followed by one of Iroh's, then another of the bald man's. They continued like this in rapid succession until his uncle's opponent sat back with a satisfied smile. On the table, the tiles had been placed in a pattern resembling a lotus, with the white lotus tile in the center.

"Welcome, brother." The man said. "The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"What are you old gasbags talking about?" Zuko demanded, growing agitated.

Uncle simply grinned, his eyes holding a mischievous gleam that made him look several years younger.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game."

The bald man gave them a warm smile, but as he opened his mouth to speak, his expression suddenly changed.

"I knew it!" He cried, raising an accusing finger at them. "You're wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"

Zuko spun around in an instant, surveying the crowded bar. A tall, burly man was on his feet, but everyone else was seated, each pair of eyes glued to the four of them. Ren looked shocked and frightened as she kept her head low, shielding her face from view, but Uncle seemed perfectly calm.

"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko whispered harshly, but his uncle only smirked.

"He is. Just watch."

"You!" The Pai Sho player was addressing the muscled man. "You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold!"

"Gold?" A man with a mustache repeated, his eyes narrowing as he drew a knife from his pocket.

All of the men in the bar seemed to stand simultaneously. Some drew knives, others small battle axes, and some simply clenched their hands into fists, but all were prepared to fight for the prospect of gold.

"Oh, Spirits..." Ren breathed, looking frightened.

Behind the brawny man, a frail-looking elderly man stood, placing his hand on the other's shoulder.

"Uh, maybe we shouldn't..."

Two men jumped in front of them, each brandishing a knife. The muscular man spun around, delivering a reverse roundhouse kick and using his bending to send a rock flying at the men, successfully knocking them backwards. The wiry older man assumed a bending stance and bent the earth underneath one of the men, causing him to sink into the ground up to his neck.

"Did you _see_ that?" Ren whispered to no one in particular.

Zuko stole a quick glance at her. She was staring intently at the scene before them, her eyes wide as they danced back and forth between the two benders. Her expression was one Zuko had seen before, falling somewhere between awe and fear. To his right, Iroh was making his way to the door with the Pai Sho player, gesturing for the two teenagers to follow him.

Zuko was halfway to the door when he realized that Ren was still standing rooted to the spot, watching the fights with the wonder of a small child.

"_Come on,_" he hissed through gritted teeth.

Whether she didn't hear him or chose to ignore him, he couldn't be sure. Frankly, he didn't care. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the bar, her eyes never leaving the benders.

* * *

><p>The bald Pai Sho player led them to a shop on the other side of town. When they walked inside, Zuko could see that the bottom of each wall was lined with flower pots. Some walls had shelves with potted plants on them, whereas others were bare. On the wall opposite them stood a wooden door with a small window at about eye level.<p>

"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus." The man said to Iroh. "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets."

"Wait," Ren interrupted, turning to face Iroh. "You're a Grand Master of the Order of the White Lotus?"

"Yes, I have been for many years now."

"You know of the Order of the White Lotus?" The bald man raised an eyebrow at the younger girl.

"Very little. I've heard rumors, but I never thought they might actually be true."

Zuko's agitation was growing by the minute.

"Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some _real_ help?"

"You must forgive my nephew," Iroh said to the other man. "He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts."

The Pai Sho player gave a curt nod before knocking on the door at the back of the shop. The window slid open, revealing a man's grey eyes.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" The eyes demanded.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh replied.

The door was thrown open and Iroh and the other man walked through. Zuko and Ren made a move to follow them, but the door was shut quickly behind the older men. A second later the window slid open again, exposing his Uncle's eyes.

"I'm afraid it's members only." Iroh said. "Wait out here."

Zuko frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as his uncle shut the window again. The prince stepped away from the door, awkwardly sniffing a potted flower before sliding to the ground next to it. Ren stifled a giggle, earning her a glare from Zuko.

As she took a seat on the ground across from him, she said, almost too quietly for him to hear, "I think it's a Ghost Flower."

Zuko cocked his head to the side slightly, but didn't say a word. She glanced at him for a moment before plunging her hand into her bag and pulling out a thick book. The spine made a cracking noise as she opened it, quickly flipping through the pages with a light click of her tongue.

"Ah!"

She turned the book towards him, her thin finger pointing toward the words "mohavea confertiflora." Zuko's eyes scanned the page quickly, and he found that the yellow tinged flower in the picture looked the same as the one he had sniffed moments before.

"They grow in desert areas." She explained.

When Zuko didn't respond, she blushed lightly and closed her book, shoving it back in her bag with a quiet, "Sorry."

Zuko remained silent, watching her move in the dim lighting of the flower shop. In the back of his mind he could hear his uncle annoyingly persisting:

"_You should consider being a bit more friendly..."_

He scowled. Even when Uncle wasn't around, he was still telling Zuko what to do. Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he finally spoke.

"Do you always carry flower books around with you when you run off with fugitives?"

As soon as the words left him, he wished he could take them back. The statement had come out much harsher than he had intended. He could imagine Uncle cringing at his attempt, and inwardly, he kicked himself. Ren regarded him with a small smile.

"I don't often run off with fugitives," she countered. "But if I did, I imagine I'd want to have some idea of what plants were edible or not."

Zuko cast his eyes downward without saying a word. Being friendly was a lot more difficult than he thought.

* * *

><p>Half an hour passed in silence, and Zuko probably would have dozed off if he hadn't felt the need to constantly be on the alert. Across from him, Ren had hardly moved since she sat down. The thought crossed his mind that he should strike up a conversation, but he had never been one for forced formalities. He was content to sit in silence if it meant avoiding awkward small talk.<p>

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Ren spoke again. Her emerald eyes were fixed on him as she spoke.

"We don't really know anything about each other, do we?"

Her voice was soft when she regarded him, and as he looked up, he saw that her face was gentle. He suppressed a scowl for the sake of Uncle's wishes.

"No."

She twiddled her thumbs together, her eyes darting to the floor before coming to rest back on Zuko's face.

"We could play a game. Twenty questions?"

Zuko didn't respond. He hated games.

"Fifteen questions?"

Nothing.

"Ten questions?"

Still nothing.

"...Five questions?"

He exhaled harshly in exasperation.

"Fine," he snapped. "Fine. Five questions."

Ren beamed at him. "Okay. Do you want to start?"

He blinked at her.

"Alright, me then." She tapped her finger against her chin exaggeratedly. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

She stared at him, as if waiting for him to elaborate.

"Almost seventeen."

"What's your favorite color?"

He paused for a moment. Honestly, he had never put much thought into it before. Red was a staple color in the Fire Nation, so...

"Red."

"What did you and your uncle do to get a bounty put on your heads?"

Zuko grimaced. He hadn't been expecting her to ask _that_. He looked away from her for a moment, trying to find a tactful way to answer her question. His voice was even as he spoke.

"We're considered traitors of the Fire Nation."

The two of them sat in silence as Ren waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she raised an eyebrow and said, "Care to elaborate?"

Zuko's smirk escaped him before he could bother trying to suppress it.

"That's two questions."

Ren peered up at him from underneath her bangs, a smile dancing across her face.

"So it is."

He was surprised to see a playful glint in her eyes as she regarded him, and he almost found it hard to believe that this was the same girl who had entered into a shouting match with him hardly a day before. She was gazing at him expectantly, and he cleared his throat before continuing, his voice flat.

"My sister tried to capture my uncle and I. When we escaped, she branded us as Fire Nation traitors."

She was still staring at him, one of her eyebrows raised analytically, as if she could tell he wasn't being entirely truthful. It wasn't a _lie_, he told himself, just an abridged version of the truth.

"Alright," she said, seemingly satisfied. "So one question left, then?"

He gave a curt nod.

"Why shouldn't I trust you?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "Because you don't know me."

The corners of Ren's lips turned upward. "Which is why I asked you to play a game." As their eyes met she continued, "It's your turn."

"I don't have anything to ask you."

"Well you're no fun, are you?"

Zuko almost felt insulted by her teasing, in spite of the lightness of her tone, and when he spoke again, his voice was hard.

"Fine. How old are you?"

"Sixteen. Just turned."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green. You know you can't copy all of my questions, right?"

"Oh really?" Sarcasm dripped from his words. "Because I was _so_ interested in what you did to become a Fire Nation fugitive."

Ren ignored his jab. "You have three more questions," she reminded him.

"I don't want to know anything about you."

"Then you shouldn't have agreed to play the game."

Zuko scowled upon seeing the impish grin on her face. It was infuriating, the way this little Earth Kingdom girl always seemed to know how to push his buttons. Silently, he cursed the Spirits for throwing them together.

* * *

><p>Ren said nothing else after Zuko's refusal to continue with her little game, and the two contented themselves with sitting in thick silence for what seemed like hours. Zuko let his back rest against the wall, with one of his legs bent in front of him and the other stretched out. Time seemed to drag by the two of them, each minute taking twice as long as it should have.<p>

Zuko had only just allowed himself to doze off when the door burst open, hitting the back wall with a resounding _thump. _Zuko jumped to his feet, instinctively falling into a bending stance. Ren let out a quiet chuckle and, upon seeing it was his uncle who had stepped through the door, Zuko lowered his hands.

"What's going on?" He demanded. "Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se." Iroh replied. He gave Ren a small smile as he turned to face her. "It appears we will be able to accompany you to the city after all."

Zuko suppressed a heavy sigh. Was he ever going to be rid of that girl?

"Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?"

"The city is filled with refugees," explained the bald man from the bar. "No one will notice three more."

"We can hide in plain sight there," Iroh continued. "And it is the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city."

No sooner had his uncle spoken than a young man, scarcely two or three years older than Zuko, came through the front door of the flower shop.

"I have the passports for our guests," He declared, shutting the door behind him. "But there are two men out on the streets looking for them."

Zuko and his uncle cast each other weary glances before rushing to the window and pressing their faces close to the glass. Sure enough, the muscled man and his wiry older counterpart were just outside the flower shop, shoving wanted posters in the faces of passersby and demanding to know if anyone had seen the fugitives.

"Great," Zuko mumbled, turning away from the window and crossing his arms over his chest. "Now what do you old geezers suggest we do?"

"Calm yourself, Zuko." Iroh spoke gently. "I am sure Fung has already thought of a way to get us out of here unseen."

The bald man simply nodded, his features showing no signs of worry. He took three thick, darn green passports from the younger man who had come through the front door a few minutes before.

"Mr. Lee," he said, handing one of the passports to Zuko. The prince remained silent.

"Mr. Mushi," he handed a second passport to Iroh, who grinned.

"And Miss..." Fung had to look at the passport, as he had never been formally introduced to the earth bending girl. "Miss Ren Yi? Interesting... Ren means 'lotus,' I believe."

Ren opened her mouth to respond, but Zuko cut her off.

"You put her real name on the passport? What if someone recognizes her? What if her parents sent someone out to look for her?"

She looked at him for a moment, her expression falling just short of sadness, before she said, "No one is going to recognize me; I've never been out of my home town before now. And my parents don't have the money to hire someone to look for me."

"I assure you, Prince Zuko," Fung spoke again, "we know what we are doing." Turning to Ren, he continued, "Come, Miss Ren Yi. We will need your help if we are going to escort your friends out of town safely."

Zuko watched their retreating figures as Fung and the younger man led Ren through another door, closing it with a light _click_ behind them. He turned when they were out of sight, only to see a chastising look upon his uncle's face. Zuko frowned.

"What? What did I do?"

"What did I tell you yesterday about being nice, Prince Zuko?"

"I've tried to be nice!" Zuko tossed his hands up in frustration. "But she's infuriating! She asks me questions and wants to play games and carries books around. And even when I try to be nice, it comes out wrong!"

Uncle simply laughed.

"Perhaps it is not Ren who is the problem, Zuko."

"What, are you saying it's my fault?"

"Of course not. What I am saying is that you simply do not know how to make friends; you have never had to before."

"I don't want to be friends with her," Zuko huffed. "She bothers me."

Iroh chuckled as he placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Just keep trying, Zuko. You are probably better at being nice than you think!"

No sooner had Iroh spoken than the door at the back of the shop swung open again, revealing Fung and Ren. The older man stepped out first, while Ren followed behind him, pulling a wooden wagon with two large flower pots on top. Zuko scoffed.

"Does your master plan involve planting a garden or something?"

"Actually, these are for you." Fung stated simply.

Zuko blinked.

"Come again?"

The bald man stepped toward the wagon and removed the tops of the flower pots with one swift motion. Decoys.

"Hop in!" Ren said.

"What?" Zuko shouted. "No! Absolutely not! There is no way I am riding all the way to Ba Sing Se in a flower pot!"

"You don't have to," Fung explained. "You and your uncle are only going to be in the flower pots until you make it over the sand dunes. You will leave the pots and the wagon there, and then it's about a three-day walk to Full Moon Bay, where you can take the ferry to the train station of the outskirts of Ba Sing Se."

Zuko's eyes darted from Ren, who shrugged at him, to his uncle, who nodded, then back to the bald man, who was standing with his arms folded across his chest. Zuko sighed.

"Fine."

"Excellent!" Iroh clasped his hands together lightly. "Now that we are all on the same page, let's get going before those bounty hunters come back. My friend," he turned to Fung with a bow, "It has been a pleasure to meet you. I cannot thank you enough for all of the help you have given us."

"The pleasure was all mine," Fung said as he returned the bow with a flourish. "It has been an honor to serve a Grand Master of the Order of the White Lotus. I hope we will meet again soon."

"Yes, but hopefully under more enjoyable circumstances."

Iroh chuckled softly to himself as he climbed into one of the flower pots, securing the soil-covered top over his head. Zuko mimicked him wordlessly, climbing into the other flower pot and placing the top over the opening. His knees were squeezed tightly against his chest, his back pressing firmly against the inside of the flower pot. If he had been a few inches taller, he probably wouldn't have fit.

There were a few holes in the flower pot that he could see through if he pressed his face close enough, but he doubted they were large enough for anyone to be able to see him. From outside the clay pot, he heard Fung bid Ren farewell, with a reminder to travel safely. He could feel her take the heavy handle with both hands and begin pulling them out of the front door with some effort.

The wagon jerked violently with a loud _clunk_ as the wheels passed over the front entrance, causing the flower pot to wobble threateningly and Zuko's head to collide roughly with the hardened clay.

"_Ow_!" He hissed. "Be a little more careful, would you?"

"Sorry!" Ren whispered back to him.

They had hardly made it a hundred feet from the shop when Zuko heard a gritty voice yell, "Hey, girl!"

Pressing his eye close to one of the small holes in the flower pot, he could see the muscled man from the bar stalking towards them with the older man following behind. The larger man reached out his hand, his thick fingers closing around Ren's thin arm roughly. He spun her around with little more than a twitch of his biceps, nearly causing her to lose her balance.

"I'm talking to you, girl. You look familiar."

His voice was low and menacing as he spoke to her, bending down so their noses were practically touching. Ren narrowed her eyes at him, her teeth clenched tightly.

"Maybe if you _took your hands off of me,_" she pried his fingers off of her arm with two hands, attempting to shove him backwards. "Then I would actually care to speak with you."

The muscled man scowled, raising himself to his full height so that he towered over her.

"You insolent little-"

"Uh, what my friend means to say," the elder bender stepped between them, using his palm to push the larger man back gently. "Is we're looking for these two fugitives."

He held up Zuko and Iroh's wanted posters close to her face.

"Have you seen them?"

Ren simply shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the other bender.

"No, I haven't seen them."

The man with the posters nodded as he stepped away from her, gesturing for the other man to follow him. Ren took up the wagon handle again, ignoring the guttural growl the muscled man sent her as he passed.

Zuko sat back against the flower pot again as they continued toward the sand dunes, his chin resting on his bent knees. The snarky, back-talking earth bending girl he had just seen was more like the one who demanded to travel with him and less like the one who asked him to play games. Both were equally frustrating, he decided, but he found it difficult to wrap his brain around the fact that they were still the same person.

To Zuko, people had always seemed fairly straightforward. But when he thought about it now, he realized that it was hard to comprehend the different aspects of people's personalities. Ren, for instance, was hard headed, insolent and stubborn, but apparently she was also ... playful? And kind of friendly?

And what about Azula? He had long ago decided that she was pure evil, but wasn't she still the same sister who once took the fall for him when he set the palace drapes on fire?

And what about him? Where did he fit into all that, anyway?

Zuko sighed. The feel of the wagon rising and falling over the sand dunes reminded him of his old ship on the ocean, gliding along across the waves. A month ago, he would have been angered at the reminder of Zhao's betrayal. Now, he was almost too tired too care, and it just made him feel faintly sea sick.

He was beginning to wonder how long he had been musing, when Ren's voice floated through his thoughts.

"I think we're here."

She dropped the wagon handle onto the sand with a heavy sigh before falling backwards and plopping on the ground next to it, exhausted.

"You guys are _heavy_," she stated.

Zuko and Iroh lifted the tops of their flower pots at the same time, each one climbing out of their respected pots.

Iroh groaned loudly as he stretched his back with a series of loud cracks.

"Oh!" He moaned, gently massaging his aching back muscles. "These old bones aren't what they used to be..."

Zuko brushed some stray bits of soil off of his shoulders. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ren staring at him, giggling behind her hand.

"What?" He glared at her. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You have... Um..."

She laughed again. She stood on her tiptoes in front of him, placing her hand on his shoulder to maintain her balance. With her other hand, she reached toward the top of his head, plucking something off lightly. Looking down at her hands, Zuko saw that it was one of those flowers she talked about earlier. Haunted flowers, maybe?

"You had a flower on your head," she explained simply, her fingers working gracefully to weave the flower into her hair behind her left ear.

He blinked at her. For what felt like the thousandth time that day, he could hear his uncle's voice nagging at the back of his mind.

"_Perhaps you should pay her a compliment... Ladies love compliments!"_

Zuko clenched his teeth in frustration, feeling his hands involuntary ball into fists. Why did Uncle's advice always have to pop into his head at the worst times? He didn't _want_ to compliment her. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure he had ever actually given a girl a compliment before. He wasn't sure he had ever given _anyone_ a compliment before.

He frowned. Prince Zuko had spent three years in exile, had survived the arctic tundra of the North, had fought against his fire bending prodigy of a sister more than once, and had survived an Agni Kai with the Fire Lord. Surely he could manage to give a girl a compliment. How hard could it be?

He watched her as she talked with his uncle, searching for something that stood out as an easy compliment. She was okay-looking, he supposed. She certainly wasn't _ugly_ by any means, but he had seen far prettier girls in the palace before. Her dark hair fell in tangled strands over her shoulders, but she had tied it back sometime after they left the flower shop. Her clothes were typical of the Earth Kingdom, browns and greens and yellows that Zuko had seen all too much of recently. He couldn't compliment her on her bending skills because, well, she had said herself that she was mediocre at best.

Giving a compliment was a lot harder than he had expected.

Zuko froze when Ren turned around, her eyes falling directly onto his as she caught him staring at her. He paled.

"What?" Her hands flew to her cheeks, feeling for some type of abnormality. "Do I have something on my face?"

"What? No!" Zuko cried, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's just that, uh, you have ... really nice ... um, skin?"

He kicked himself mentally as Ren's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Oh." She said, simply. "Um... Thank you?"

She turned away with a confused look on her face, and Zuko could hear his uncle groan quietly in embarrassment for his nephew.

Zuko heaved a sigh as he slapped himself on the forehead, shaking his head. It was going to be a long way to Ba Sing Se.

* * *

><p>I feel horrible for how long it took me to crank this chapter out. Things have been really hectic at my house lately with the move and trying to get everything (including the internet) situated. This isn't my favorite chapter, and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it, so whether you loved it, hated it, or found yourself somewhere in between, I'd love to hear from you!<p>

Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, and/or adding this story to your favorites/alert lists! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


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